is a Japanese

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist, composer and writer. His piano style is influenced by

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

modal jazz Modal jazz is jazz that makes use of musical modes, often modulating among them to accompany the chords instead of relying on one tonal center used across the piece. Though exerting influence to the present, modal jazz was most popular in th ...

and

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including sa ...

. Since the late 1980s, Yamashita's main performing group has consisted of

Cecil McBee Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935) is an American jazz bassist. He has recorded as a leader only a handful of times since the 1970s, but has contributed as a sideman to a number of classic jazz albums. Biography Early life and career McBee was b ...

(bass), Pheeroan akLaff (drums), and often

Joe Lovano Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born December 29, 1952)"Joe Lovano." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 13. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 1994. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, May 5, 2017. is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist. T ...

(saxophone).

Early life

Yamashita was born in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan, on 26 February 1942.Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestly, Brian (1995) ''Jazz – The Rough Guide''. The Rough Guides. p. 711. He had violin lessons between the ages of nine and 15, and switched to piano in his teens.''Chiasma'' liner notes by Horst Weber

Later life and career

Yamashita first played piano professionally in 1959, at the age of 17, and attended the

Kunitachi College of Music The is a private university, private music conservatory in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1926 as the Tokyo Conservatory of Music, Kunitachi now offers study programs in performance, music education, composition, comput ...

and studied classical composition from 1962 to 1967. In the early 1960s, he "was part of a group, with

Terumasa Hino is a Japanese jazz trumpeter. He is considered one of Japan's finest jazz musicians. His instruments include the trumpet, cornet, and flügelhorn. Early life He was born in Tokyo, Japan, and his father was a trumpeter and tap dancer. Hino start ...

and

Masabumi Kikuchi was a Japanese jazz pianist and composer known for his unique playing style. He worked with many diverse musicians, including Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian, and collaborated with Gil Evans and ...

, that met at a jazz club called to play and discuss jazz every night". Yamashita's first released recording was in 1963, and he became a pioneer of

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

and

. He was part of

Masahiko Togashi was a Japanese jazz percussionist and composer. Togashi grew up in a musical household; his father was a double-bassist in a swing jazz ensemble, and Togashi learned violin and drums, playing the latter in his father's band. He worked with Sadao ...

's free jazz quartet in 1965, but it disbanded after three months without recording. The pair were part of Sadao Watanabe's band in 1966, but Yamashita and Togashi disagreed about rhythms, leading to the pianist leaving. He formed his own trio in August 1966, with bassist Satoshi Shigami and drummer Shigenori Honjo; around ten months later, they were replaced by Motoharu Yoshizawa and Yoshisaburo Toyozumi, respectively. Saxophonist Seiichi Nakamura was added a short time later. The quartet recorded for the film ''

Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands ''aka'' ''Dutch Wife of the Wasteland'' ''and'' ''The Dutch Wives of the Wild'', originally released as , is a 1967 Japanese ''pink film'' written and directed by cult filmmaker Atsushi Yamatoya, starring the first "Queen" of ''pink film'', Norik ...

'' in 1967. Near the end of that year, Yamashita developed

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

, which meant that he was not musically active for almost a year. In 1969, he formed the Yosuke Yamashita Trio. In 1974, the trio of Yamashita,

Akira Sakata Akira Sakata (born 21 February 1945) is a Japanese free jazz saxophonist. Early life Sakata was born in Hiroshima on 21 February 1945. He first heard jazz on short-wave radio and Voice of America, then became more interested in it from listening ...

(alto sax) and

Takeo Moriyama is a Japanese jazz drummer. Moriyama played piano as a child before switching to drums in his late teens. He then attended the Tokyo University of the Arts, taking a degree in percussion performance. He joined Yosuke Yamashita's small group in 1 ...

(drums) went on the first of a series of successful European tours, which helped spread beyond Japan Yamashita's and the trio's reputation as driving, fully committed free jazz musicians. The trio broke up in 1983. In the 1980s, Yamashita formed his New York Trio with bassist

and drummer Pheeroan akLaff. In 1994, he was invited to perform at the 50th anniversary concert of jazz label

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

, held at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. He provided the music for the film '' Dr. Akagi''. He has also led a big band "that combined swing music with free jazz". He has been a visiting professor of music at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music,

Nagoya University of Arts is a private university in Kitanagoya, Aichi, Japan, founded in 1970. External links

* Universities and colleges established in 1970 Private universities and colleges in Japan Universities and colleges in Aichi Prefecture 1970 establish ...

, and his alma mater, Kunitachi College of Music, in addition to publishing work on improvisation and music. Yamashita performed on a burning piano in 1973 when asked by Japanese graphic designer Kiyoshi Awazu to be the subject in his short film, ''burning piano''. Thirty-five years later, clothed in a protective firefighter's uniform, Yamashita repeated the performance on a beach in western Japan, playing jazz improvisations on a piano which had been set alight. Yamashita is in charge of visiting professor of Jazz course in Kunitachi College of Music since 2010.

Legacy

Critic Marc Moses, writing for ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' in 1990, commented that "It is not an exaggeration to say that Yamashita is probably more responsible than any other individual for broadening the horizon of the creative Japanese jazz scene."

Awards

*In 1990, he was awarded the

Fumio Nanri was a Japanese jazz trumpeter nicknamed the "Satchmo of Japan" by Louis Armstrong. He was one of Japan's first jazz musicians to become known outside his native country. A long-standing prestigious music award, "The Fumio Nanri Award", was named ...

award. *In 1999, at the

Mainichi Film Concours The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by ''Mainichi Shimbun'' (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of t ...

he was awarded "Best Film Score" for '' Dr. Akagi''. *In 2003, he was awarded the for his contributions to the arts and academia.

Discography

Jazz albums

As leader/co-leader

* ' (self released, 1969) – the first live recording at

Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...

with Seiichi Nakamura and Takeo Moriyama * ''Concert in New Jazz'' ( Teichiku/Union Jazz, 1969) - the first professional live recording with Seiichi Nakamura and

* ''Mina's Second Theme'' ( Victor, 1969) – studio, trio with Seiichi Nakamura and Takeo Moriyama * ' (Victor, 1970) – studio, trio with Seiichi Nakamura and Takeo Moriyama * ''April Fool: Coming Muhammad Ali'' (URC, 1972) – studio, trio with Seiichi Nakamura and Takeo Moriyama * with

Masahiko Sato is a Japanese jazz pianist, composer and arranger. Early life Satoh was born in Tokyo on 6 October 1941. His mother was Setsu and his father, who owned small businesses, was Yoshiaki Satoh. The house that his family moved into in 1944 contained ...

, ''Piano Duo'' ( Columbia, 1974) – live at Asahi Seimei Hall, * ''Clay'' ( Enja, 1974) – studio, trio with

, Takeo Moriyama * ''Yosuke Alone'' (Bellwood, 1974) – solo * with

Manfred Schoof Manfred Schoof (born 6 April 1936) is a German jazz trumpeter. Career Schoof was born in Magdeburg, Germany. He studied music in Kassel and Cologne, where one of his teachers was the big band leader Kurt Edelhagen. Schoof performed on Edelhagen' ...

, Akira Sakata,

, ''Distant Thunder'' (Enja, 1975) – live * ''Breathtake'' (Frasco, 1975) – solo * ''Chiasma'' ( MPS, 1976) – with Akira Sakata, Takeo Moriyama, recorded in 1975 * ''Banslikana'' (Enja, 1976) – solo, recorded in 1975 * with

Yasutaka Tsutsui is a Japanese novelist, science fiction author, and actor. His ''Yumenokizaka bunkiten'' won the Tanizaki Prize in 1987. He has also won the 1981 Izumi Kyoka award, the 1989 Kawabata Yasunari award, and the 1992 Nihon SF Taisho Award. Writin ...

, ' (Frasco, 1976) – recorded in 1975-76 * ''A day in Music'' (Frasco, 1976) – duo with Adelhard Roidinger * ''Montreux Afterglow'' (Frasco, 1976) – trio live at

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

* ' (Frasco, 1976) – with Gerald Oshita, * ''Umbrella Dance' (Frasco, 1977) * with Adelhard Roidinger, ''Inner Space'' (Enja, 1977) * ''Wave Song'' (Frasco, 1977) – with Adelhard Roidinger * with

, ' (Victor/Super Fuji Discs, 1978) * ' (Frasco, 1978?) * ''Invitation – Yosuke In The Gallery'' (Frasco, 1979) * ''First Time'' (Frasco, 1979) * with Haruna Miyake, ''Exchange'' (Victor, 1979) * ' Vol. 1 and Vol.2 (Frasco, 1981) * ''Picasso - Live, And Then...'' (Columbia, 1983) - recorded in 1982. CD reissue in 2015. * ' (Columbia, 1983) * ''It Don't Mean a Thing'' (DIW, 1984) – solo * with

Hozan Yamamoto Fongshan District, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency () is a district located in southern Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Fongshan is one of the administrative centers of Kaohsiung and is home to the Republic of China Military Academy. ...

, ''Breath'' (Denon, 1984) * ''It Don't Mean A Thing'' (DIW, 1984) * with Ruri Shimada, Goji Hamada, V.A., ''Winter Music'' (Locus Solus, 1985) * ''Sentimental'' (Kitty, 1985) * with

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

, ''Piano Duo Live At Pit Inn'' (CBS/Sony, 1986) * with Kodō, ''In Live'' (Denon, 1986) * ''Rhapsody in Blue'' (Kitty, 1986) * with Hozan Yamamoto, ''Bolero'' (Enja, 1986) * ''Plays Gershwin'' (Kitty, 1989) * ''Crescendo - Live At Sweet Basil'' (Kitty, 1989) * ''Sakura'' (

, 1990) – with

and Pheeroan Aklaff * ''Sakura Live'' (Verve, 1991) – with Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff * ''Kurdish Dance'' (Verve, 1992) – with Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff * ''Dazzling Days'' (Verve, 1993) – with Lovano, Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff * ''

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

'' (Verve Forecast, 1993) – with

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...

and

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...

* ''Playground'' (Verve, 1993) * ''Ways of Time'' (Verve, 1995) – with Tim Berne, Lovano, Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff * ''Spider'' (Verve, 1996) – with Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff * ''Canvas In Quiet - Homage To Morio Matsui'' (Verve, 1996) * ''Stone Flower - Homage To A.C. Jobim'' (JVC, 1997) * ''Duo Live in Warehouse'' with

Eitetsu Hayashi (born February 2, 1952) is an acclaimed Japanese musician best known for his solo performance work in taiko. Hayashi joined the group Ondekoza at an early age. Later, after parting from group, helped found the taiko group Kodo, though he quickly l ...

(King/Raijin, 1998) - live in Tokyo * ''Ballads For You'' (Trial, 1998) - live in

Fuji, Shizuoka is a city in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 245,015 in 106,087 households, and a population density of 1,000 people per km2. The total area of the city is . Fuji is the third largest city in terms of ...

* ''Golden Circle "6"'' (Trial, 1999) - live in

Hamamatsu is a Cities of Japan, city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. In September 2023, the city had an estimated population of 780,128 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, with a population density of over the t ...

* ''Fragments 1999'' (Verve, 1999) – with Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff * ''Resonant Memories'' (Verve, 2001) – solo. recorded in 2000. * ''Graceful Illusion'' (Universal Music, 2004) * ''Delightful Contrast'' (Universal, 2011) – with Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff * ''Yamashita, Yosuke Trio'' (DIW, 2012) - recorded in 1973 * ''Grandioso'' (Universal, 2013) – with Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff * ' (JamRice, 2014) – with special bigband * ' (Velvet Sun, 2014) – with * ' (JamRice, 2015) - with special bigband * ''In Europe 1983 -complete edition-'' (Columbia, 2015) - recorded in Germany 1983 * ' with Cecil McBee and Pheeroan Aklaff (Verve, 2018) As chamber ensemble “”
(with Shigeharu Mukai and Yahiro Tomohiro) * ' (Zizo, 2002)

Other appearances

As sideman *

Masayuki Takayanagi was a Japanese jazz / free improvisation / noise musician. He was active in the Japanese jazz scene from the late 1950s. In the 1960s he formed New Direction (later New Direction Unit), which recorded several albums throughout the 1970s. He also ...

, ' ( TBM, 1972) - the first recording in 1963 * Isso Yukihiro, ' (King, 1990) * , ''Gathering'' (Sony, 1991) - live *

Nobuyasu Okabayashi is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter whose career spans more than 50 years. Often compared to Bob Dylan, ''Rolling Stone Japan'' called him an icon of Japan's politically turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Okabayashi made his debut in 1968 and quickly ...

, ''Made in Japan'' (Toshiba EMI, 1992) * Magokoro brothers, ' (Sony/"Ki/oon", 1992) * Kim Dae-hwan, ''Black Roots'' (nices, 1993) - live in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, recorded in 1991 * Sachi Hayasaka & Stir Up! ''2.26'' (Enja, 1994) - live, recorded in 1992 *

Kazumi Watanabe is a Japanese guitarist. Other guitarists such as Luke Takamura and Sugizo have cited him as an influence. Career Watanabe learned guitar at the age of 12 from Sadanori Nakamure at the Yamaha Music School in Tokyo. He released his first album ...

, ' (Universal/domo, 1994) *

Shuichi Murakami (January 1, 1951 – March 9, 2021) was a Japanese jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragti ...

, ''Welcome to My Life'' (Victor, 1998) * Black Out (Jazz), ''1999/2.26 Live'' (Nbagi, 1999) * Yuki Maeda, ''Jazz Age: Gershwin Song Book'' (ewe, 1999) *

T-Square (band) T-Square (stylized in all caps, formerly known as the Square) is a Japanese jazz fusion band formed in 1976. They became famous in the late 1970s and early 1980s along with other Japanese jazz bands. They are known for songs such as "Truth", ...

, '' (SMA, 2012) *

Toshi Ichiyanagi was a Japanese avant-garde composer and pianist. One of the leading composers in Japan during the postwar era, Ichiyanagi worked in a range of genres, composing Western-style operas and orchestral and chamber works, as well as compositions usi ...

, ''Piano Concerto No.4 "Jazz", Piano Concerto No.5 "Finland", Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra'' (Camerata Tokyo, 2013) *

Saki Takaoka is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 19th Hochi Film Award for '' Crest of Betrayal''. Filmography Film * ''cf girl'' (''cfガール'', 1989) * '' Swimming Upstream'' ('' バタアシ金魚'', 1990), Sonoko * '' ...

, ''Sings - Bedtime Stories'' (Victor, 2014) *

Bennie Wallace Bennie Wallace (born November 18, 1946) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Wallace was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He began playing in local clubs with the encouragement of East Ridge, Tennessee High School band director and ...

, ''Brilliant Corners'' (Denon, 2015) - recorded in 1986 *

, ''Requiem – The Heart of Misora Hibari'' (

EMI Music Japan , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Wh ...

, 2010) * Nao Takeuchi, ''Obsidian'' (What's New, 2010) * Shinnosuke Takahashi, ''Blues 4 Us - Live at Shinjyuku Pit Inn'' (Pit Inn, 2011) * Akira Horikoshi & , ''Lotus Position'' (Waternet Sound, 2016) * Asako Motojima, ''Melodies of Memories'' (Greenfin, 2017) *

,' (DIW, 2018) Omnibus Albums * ''Jazz in Tokyo '69'' (Tact, 1969) * ''Memories of Bill Evans'' (Victor, 1999) * ''Gets Gilberto + 50'' (

verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

, 2013)

Soundtrack

* ' (Tokuma Japan, 1986; re-issue 2002) * ''Dr. Kanzo Original Soundtrack / Yosuke Yamashita on Cinema'' (

, 1998) * '' Vengeance for Sale Original Soundtrack'' ( Vap, 2002) * '' Soundtrack'' (Ultra-Vybe, 2008) - recorded in 1972 *

Shirō Sagisu is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer. With a career spanning over 40 years (beginning in the late 1970s), he is best known for his works as a record producer for acts including various choir members Mike Wyzgowski, Misia, Satosh ...

, ' (King, 2013) * ' (Avex Classics, 2018) - with Minami Kizuki(vo) * ' (Avex Classics, 2018) - with Minami Kizuki(vo)

Selective classical compositions

* "Yōsuke Yamashita: Piano Concerto No.1 ENCOUNTER for Improviser" ** in Yōsuke Yamashita,

Yutaka Sado is a Japanese conductor. Biography While still in school, Sado obtained a position in the Kansai Nikikai, a Japanese school of opera, where he had the opportunity to work with the New Japan Philharmonic and the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, learni ...

and

RAI National Symphony Orchestra The RAI National Symphony Orchestra () is an Italian symphony radio orchestra, owned by the public radio and television company RAI. Its primary concert venue is the Auditorium RAI in the Piazza Rossaro in Turin. Its concerts are broadcast on Ra ...

''Yōsuke Yamashita: Piano Concerto No.1 ENCOUNTER'' (Avex Classics, 2007) ** and Yōsuke Yamashita, Yutaka Sado and ''Rhapsody in Blue'' (Avex Classics, 2014) * "Yōsuke Yamashita: Piano Concerto No.3 EXPLORER" in Yōsuke Yamashita, Yutaka Sado ''Explorer×Sudden Fiction'' (Avex Classics, 2008) - with

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra The is recognized as the oldest symphony orchestra in Japan. It was founded in 1911 and debuted at the original Matsuzakaya store in Nagoya as the . It relocated to Tokyo in 1938. As of 2024, it has 166 members. The orchestra plays frequently a ...

References

Bibliography *

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamashita, Yosuke 1942 births Living people Enja Records artists Japanese jazz pianists Musicians from Tokyo Recipients of the Medal with Purple Ribbon Kunitachi College of Music alumni 21st-century Japanese pianists Bellaphon Records artists